Anchor used in connection with mechanically-operated farm implements working on the fixed-cable system



Mar. 27, 1923. 1,449,447.

- J. ROBINSON ET AL. ANCHOR USED IN CONNECTION WITH mecmmcmv OPERATED FARM IMPLEMENTS WORKING ON THE FIXED CABLE SYSTEM. FILED AUG-31, I922- i g n u Patented or. 27, 1923;

N l S A T ES v 1,449,447 PATET orrlcn.

JAMES ROBINSON AND PERCY ROBINSON, OF LEEDS, ENGLAND.

ANCHOR'USED IN CONNECTION WITH MEGHANIOALLY-OPERATED FARM IMPLEMENTS WORKING ON THE FIXED-CABLE SYSTEIJI.

Application filed August 31, 1922. Serial No. 585,560.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that we, JAMns RoBrNsoN and PERCY ROBINSON, British subjects, residing at Leeds, in the county of York, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Anchors Used in Connection with Mechanically-Operated Farm Implements Working on the Fixed- Cable System, of which the following is a specification.

In mechanically operated farm implements of the kind wherein the implement is provided with a motor by which it is made to haul itself along a fixed cable stretched between two anchors situated on opposite headlands, the means hitherto proposed for moving these anchors ahead at each bout of the implement have not proved successful in practice; and the object of this present invention is so to construct and operate said anchors as to enable them to be moved ahead automatically in a simple and eflicient manner while at the same time providing for a better anchorage at the conclusion of each forward movement of said anchors.

According to our invention, each head land anchor is provided, in addition to the usual drag rope or other shifting gear, with a transmission'drum around which the end of the implement cable is wound instead of being attached to the main frame of the anchor as heretofore, and the said transmission drum is coupled to the shifting gear and also to a rocking frame provided on the main frame and being fitted with one or more discs or tines so as to constitute an auxiliary anchor; the arrangement being such that on rotating the transmission drum by an outward pull on the cable, the main anchor be comes automatically moved forward by the shifting gear and the auxiliary anchor carried thereby simultaneously rocked on its pivot so as to bring its discs or tines down into the ground and thus ensure a better anchorage at the conclusion of such forward movement.

In this way, the cable along which the implement travels is utilized not only to impart the desired forward movement of the main anchor but also to bring into the anchoring position the auxiliary anchor whose rocking movement determines the extent of forward movement of the said main anchor; and it will be seen that as the force exerted on the auxiliary anchor will be in proportion to the pull or strain on the cable, the greater the power required to move the implement through the soil the greater becomes the holding power of the anchor as a whole. I

The pull on the cable to effect the forward movement of the main anchor and the rocking of the auxiliary anchor into the anchoring position as above described is due to the drag of the implement, which drag on being released allows a counterbalance weight provided on the auxiliary anchor to rock the latter on its pivot back into the normal or inoperative position and through such movement cause the transmission drum to be rotated in the reverse direction and rewind thereon suflicient of the cable to permit of the subsequent forward movement of the main anchor and the bringing of the auxiliary anchor again intothe anchoring position.

In order that the invention maybe clearly understood, we will proceed to describe the same with reference to the example of construction shown in the accompanying drawings; wherein Figs. 1, 2 and 3 are respectively a side elevation, a sectional end elevation and a plan view of a headland anchor for-use in connection with farm implements working on the fixed cable system constructed in accordance with our invention.

Referring to the drawings, 1 is the main frame of the anchor having running wheels 2 formed with discs 2 which sink into the ground 3, while 4 is a stud having loosely mounted thereon a winding drum 5 carrying a drag rope 6 whose forward or outer end is secured to the ground 3 by a claw or other fixing (not shown); all of which are of known or ordinary construction.

According to our invention, the main frame 1 is fitted with a framing 7 which carries a vertical shaft 8 on which is keyed a transmission drum 9 around which the end of the implement cable 10 is wound, and the said transmission drum 9 is coupled to the winding drum 5 through an intermediate one-way clutch 11, spur pinion 12 and attached spur wheel 13, while the shaft 8 of the transmission drum 9 is coupled to a rocking frame 14, pivoted at 15 to the framing 7, through a pair of intermediate bevel wheels 16, shaft 17, spur pinion 18 and attached spur segment 19. The rockingframe 14 carries at its forward end a disc 20 and is provided at its rear end with a counterbalance weight 21, so as to constitute an auxiliary anchor; and the spur wheel 13 of the winding drum 5 is fitted with a sprir actuated pawl adapted to prevent the bar ward rotation of the said drum 5, while th main frame 1 carries a spring 23 with which the rocking frame 14 engages when brought into the active position where it is steadied by a guide rail 24 situated on the said frame 1.

In use, the action of the anchor is as follows As the implement travels aw; y from the anchor, the latter remains inoperative owing to the fact that no strain whatever comes upon the cable 10; while on the implement commencingthe return bout, the strain put upon the cable 10 by the drag of the implement has the effect of unwinding a few coils of the said cable 10 from off the transmission drum 9 by which. the latter is rotated and with it its shaft 8 which, through the medium of the clutch 11 and spur gearing 12, 18, simultaneously rotates the winding drum 5 so as to wind in the drag rope 6 and thus cause the anchor as a whole to advance. The rotation of the transmission druin 9 and its shaft 8 simultaneously, through the medium of the bevel wheels 16, shaft 17 and spur gearing 18, 19, has the efiect of rocking the frame 14: on its'pivot 15 so as to translate it from the full line position into the dotted line position and bring the disc 20 of the said frame 1 1- down into the ground 3 (see Fig. 1), thus terminating the rotation of the transmission drum 9 and in consequenc'ethe forward travel of the anchor as a whole. The anchor being locked in the anchored position, the implement now hauls itself along the cable 10 toward. said anchor, and should any increased load be transmitted to the cable 10 during the forward travel of the implement such extra strain will be trans ferred by the cable 10 to the anchor transmis sion drum 9 and its connected rocking: frame 14:, thus causing the disc 20 to sink further into the ground 3 and so enable the anchor to withstandsuch extra side strain.

On the implement arriving at the anchor and the strain on the cable 10 having been released,the frame 1 1 is,'through the medium of its counter-balance weight 21 assisted by the spring 23, rocked on its pivot 15 back into the normal. or inoperative position shown full lines'at F ig. 1 and through such movemcnt the transmission drum 9 is simultaneously rotated in the reverse direction and rewinds thereon sufficient of the cable 10 to permit of the subsequent forward movement and anchorage of the anchor by repeating the operation above described.

It will be understood that the anchor on the opposite headland will be operated in like manner to that of the anchor herein described, thus enabling the said anchors to be moved ahead and simultaneously anchored automatically at each bout of the implement merely through the pull of its cable 10.

What we claim as our invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. In a headland anchor for use in connection with mechanically operated farm implements working on the fixed cable system, the combination of an anchor frame mounted on running wheels, a shifting gear on the anchor frame, a caliile-carrying trans mission drum on the anchor frame coupled to the shifting gear, and a rocking frame pivoted on the anchor frame *arrying tines and being coupled to the transmission drum whereby through the pull of the implement cable the transmission crum is directly rotated to cause the shifting gear to move the anchor ahead and the pivoted frame to be simultaneously rocked so as to bring its tines down into the ground. and determine the extent of the forward movement of the anchor as a whole.

2. In a headland anchor for use in connection with mechanically operated farm hnplements working on the fixed cable'system, the combination of an anchor frame mounted on running wheels, a shifting gear on the anchor frame, a cable-carrying transmission drum on the anchor frame coupled to the shifting gear through a one-way clu ch, a rocking frame pivoted about cen trally to the anchor frame carrying tines at one end thereof and being coupled by gearing to the transmission drum whereby through the pull of the implement cable the transmission drum is directly rotated to cause the shifting gear to move the anchor ahead and the pivoted frame to be simultaneously rocked so as to bring its tines down into the ground and determine the ex tent of the forward movement of the anchor, and a counter-balance weight at the other end of the pivoted frame adapted on the pull of the implement cable being re leased of rocking the said frame back into the normal or inoperative position and through such movement of simultaneously rotating the transmission drum in the opposite direction so as to rewind thereon sufficient of the cable to permit of the subsequent forward movement and anchorage of the anchor.

3. In a headland anchor for use in connection with mechanically operated farm implements working on the fixed cable system, the combination of an anchor frame mounted on running wheels formed with groundengaging discs, a drag-rope shiftinn; gear on the anchor frame, a cable-carrying transmission drum on the' anchor frame coupled to the shifting. gear through a one-way clutch, a rocking frame pivoted about centrally to the anchor frame carrying tines at one end thereof and being coupled by gearing to the transmission drum whereby through the pull of the implement cable the transmission drum is directly rotated to cause the shifting gear to move the anchor ahead and the pivoted frame to be simultaneously rocked so as to bring its tines down into the ground and determine the extent of the forward movement of the anchor, and a counter-balance weight at the other end of the pivoted frame adapted on the pull of the implement cable being released of rocking the said frame back into the normal or inoperative position and through such movement of simultaneously rotating the transmission drum in the opposite direction so as to rewind thereon suiiicient of the cable to permit of the subsequent forward movement and anchorage of the anchor.

4-. In a headland anchor for use in connection with mechanically operated farm implements working on the fixed cable system, the combination of an anchor frame mounted on running wheels formed with ground-engaging discs, a drag-rope shifting gear on the anchor frame, a cable-carrying transmission drum on the anchor frame coupled to the shifting gear through intermediate spur wheels and a one-way clutch, a rocking frame pivoted about centrally to the anchor frame carrying tines at one end thereof and being coupled by intermediate bevel wheels and spur gearing to the transmission drum wherebythrough the pull of the implement cable the transmission drum is directly rotated to cause the shifting gear to move the-anchor ahead and the pivoted frame to be simultaneously rocked so as to bring its tines down into the ground and determine the extent of the forward'movement of the anchor and a counter-balance weight at the other end of the pivoted frameadapted on the pull of the implement cable being released of rocking the said frame back into the normal or inoperative position and through such movement of simultaneously rotating the transmission drum in the opposite direction so as to rewind} thereon sufficient of the cable to permit of the subsequent forward movement and anchorage of the anchor. I

In witness whereof we have hereunto set our hands in the presence of two witnesses.

JAiMES ROBINSON. PERCY nonnvsoiv.

Witnesses:

JOHN Jownrr, LOUISA C. Jownr'r. 

